Experienced India batsman and Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane dismissed the constant rumors about his future, stating that he plays cricket for personal development rather than to appease critics.
Rahane, 37, did not captain Mumbai in domestic white-ball games and resigned from the Ranji Trophy captaincy last season. The batter hasn’t played for India since 2023, and the move sparked more speculation about his future.
“Let people talk about me. They have been talking about me since like what, 20 years now. Let them talk,” PTI quoted Rahane responding to reporters when asked if his 40-ball 67 with five sixes and three fours against the Mumbai Indians on Sunday was in any way a statement, particularly for those in Mumbai’s cricket circuit.
“I am really happy with the way I am batting at the moment. I am not here to show anyone how talented I am and what’s my game. People are watching. Let them watch. Let them talk,” he said.
“But I am really happy, in the last 2-3 years, (in the) white ball formats (with) the way I have improved my game. It’s important to grow as a cricketer, as a batsman, and that’s what I am trying to do. People will keep talking and let them talk,” he added.
Rahane acknowledged that he only experienced cramps in the second half of the Mumbai game, which KKR lost by six wickets.
“I was just cramping. It’s a very bad feeling to sit outside with the cramps and you don’t have any control when the bowlers were bowling, it’s a bad feeling but first I’m really happy the way I batted,” he said.
Rahane gave Jasprit Bumrah credit for finishing with another tight spell that kept KKR from scoring the desired total.
“We all thought initially 220 (220/4) was a good total, we were on the path to get around 235-240 but those two overs from Bumrah made a lot of difference, you know why he’s such a great bowler,” he said.
Rahane stated that it will take time for KKR’s inexperienced bowling attack to get better, but the lineup won’t alter until Australian all-rounder Cameron Green is able to bowl. Green is currently taking care of a back problem.
“With our bowling attack, the guys are really inexperienced. Vaibhav (Arora), who did well in the last year, he’s actually leading the attack and then (we have) Karthik Tyagi and (Blessing) Muzarabani, though he has played international cricket but the IPL experience is completely different,” Rahane said.
“It is challenging because our bowlers are injured. But again, there is an opportunity for other players to show up and do really well and make a name for themselves.
“As I said, Karthik, Vaibhav, Muzarabani, Saurabh (Dubey), we got Umran (Malik) as well. Navdeep Saini, who has been really impressive during practice sessions and matches. Unfortunately, Cameron Green cannot bowl at this moment. When he starts bowling, the combination will be slightly different,” he added.
Rahane stated that it is crucial for Indian mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy to not dwell too much on this phase after he had yet another difficult day on the field, returning numbers of 4-0-48-0.
“Every player goes through this phase. His attitude is completely right; probably, opposition batters are playing him really well,” Rahane said.
“Coming from a high-intensity tournament to another high-intensity tournament, it is challenging for any cricketer mentally. My only thing is (that) he should not think too much about what is happening,” he added, referring to the difficult T20 World Cup campaign he went through a few weeks ago.
